Beat of Wings 02: Where I Tell You
by Higuchimon
Summary: [au: wings] Certain events require help, like it or not. No one can do everything alone. And so Yuuri searches for someone to scratch his wings and does something he didn't expect: makes a friend. Meanwhile, Dennis would just rather not be carded by the notorious sadist. [complete]
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Where I Tell You  
 **Characters:** Yuuri, Dennis|| **Ship:** N/A  
 **Word Count:** 1,120/9,539|| **Chapters:** 1/8  
 **Genre:** Friendship|| **Rated:** G  
 **Challenge:** Diversity Writing: Yu-Gi-Oh Arc-V: H10, 6+ chapters; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #31, 9,539; Mini-fic Masterclass, #3, AU Space; Collect the Yuus/Bracelet Girls, Yuuri  
 **Note:** This is the AU where people have wings. Among them is Yuuri, who has demonic/dragon wings. This is how he & Dennis met one another in this world. This takes place about a year or so prior to the interdimensional war. Beware headcanons.  
 **Summary:** Certain events require help, like it or not. No one does everything alone. And so Yuuri searches for someone to scratch his wings and does something he didn't expect: makes a friend. Meanwhile, Dennis would just rather not be carded by the notorious sadist.

* * *

Yuuri hated molting season. Or in his case, shedding season. Whatever one called it when the wings on a Flyer needed extra care, either because of new feathers or new scales. Regardless of the materials one's wings consisted of, one point remained the same: the season meant that his wings _itched_.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to reach to one particular place on the upper part of his left wing, where an especially intense itch itched. His fingertips skated over that spot without being able to dig in and get to it, but just enough so he could feel the scales there and how loose they were. Old scales and new scales itched in much the same way, the only difference being old scales stopped itching once they were removed and new scales didn't itch once they'd settled in.

He tried again, bending his torso one way and his wings another, stretching his fingers until he brushed by the trouble spot once more. There! Perfect! Finally!

Then his wing twitched and that spot moved just out of reach and Yuuri only restrained himself from some of the more colorful aspects of his vocabulary by sheer force of will.

 _I need help._

Those three words annoyed him almost more than anything else he could have considered. The only point that would have irked him more was the thought of losing a duel. At least that wasn't going to happen. Dealing with shedding itch happened _right now_.

In theory, he could have grabbed anyone he wanted in order to relieve the itch on his wings. There wasn't anyone at Academia who would have dared to turn him down. If anyone had any idea that he needed help, then quite a few would volunteer.

 _They'd probably beg me not to card them if they 'helped'._ Yuuri's lip turned up at that. As if simply relieving an itch was good enough for that.

But that did help figure out what he needed in someone. If he were going to get help – hateful as the thought was – then he needed someone who met some very specific qualifications. Whoever this assistant was needed to possess fingers. That was step one. After that, they needed some kind of intelligence, enough to know that being spared a carding if they got on his bad side wasn't an option.

The first one opened up all of Academia to his consideration. The second one eliminated nearly everyone else.

So he needed more criteria. It really wasn't too difficult to come up with some, once he bent his mind to the task. Someone who could amuse him. He refused to _not_ be amused during this. There were a few people who met this criteria, but he couldn't think of anyone in particular off the top of his head.

 _Flyer or not?_ Either side had good reasoning behind it. A Flyer would understand the issues of shedding season and wing-itch. But that also meant that they would want _their_ itches relieved. Yuuri had no reasons to scratch someone else's wings, even if he got something out of it himself.

He would if he had to, but he decided a non-Flier would probably work better, at least for now. Which did eliminate a few more people. None of the Fliers at Academia appealed to him. Phoenix _might_ be useful, but Yuuri decided that he would be an absolute last resort.

So now one of the non-Fliers who fit all the other criteria: someone who could amuse him and who wouldn't try to insist that he not be carded. There were only a handful of those and of the ones Yuuri knew, he couldn't pin any of them immediately as suitable to his needs.

 _If only the dimensional transport were ready._ That would open up three new dimensions, at a minimum, for his choices. Standard, Synchro, and XYZ offered options and with that much more to pick from, there would have to be someone. Rumor had it there might even be more dimensions than just the four taught about. No one had yet officially discovered them, to Yuuri's knowledge, but if they were out there and he absolutely _needed_ to, then he would find someone from there to suit his purposes.

But as tempting as such a prospect was, the technology to freely go between dimensions – promised to them by the Professor for longer than Yuuri had known him – wasn't yet workable. Not on the large scale they needed for the invasion and not quite yet on the small scale that Yuuri would need for this. So for all intents and purposes, he had to pick from the offerings here at school.

He threw himself to his feet, arching his back and spreading his wings, hissing as another itch sparked up. This was getting worse, so like it or not, he needed a wingscratcher, and he needed one _now_.

Footsteps brisk and quick, he headed out of his quarters and down the hall, checking everyone he passed for any signs that they were the sort of person that he wanted. Virtually everyone he saw he dismissed at once for one reason or another. Either they didn't meet his already decided upon criteria or he just didn't like them.

Granted, he didn't think he'd ever met someone that he _did_ like who wasn't the Professor, and that was far more in the realm of respect than anything else. How could he not respect someone who offered him the chance to experience some of the more amazing duels of his life and card any of the losers? To unleash every destructive impulse he'd ever had in his entire life on three different dimensions?

Who'd even promised him that if he ever met someone that he wanted for his own plaything, that he could have them without question?

Other people missed their parents. Yuuri couldn't remember if he'd ever had a parent, though he vaguely presumed that he might have. The Professor offered everything to him, so he would give everything that he had back. Within reason, of course.

In the midst of such pleasant thoughts, a ripple of laughter caught Yuuri's attention, and he turned that way from a flicker of curiosity. Most laughter that wasn't his own annoyed him, but something about this sound made him want to investigate more.

A few quick steps brought him to the end of the hallway. The laugh came from outside, through an archway that led to one of the inner squares of grass – not large enough for a meadow, too large for almost anything else. A few people gathered out there, circling around someone that Yuuri couldn't see at the moment.

"Do it again, Dennis, do it again!"

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** I might have plans for Shun in this world… maybe…


	2. Chapter 2

**Word Count:** 2,165/9,539|| **Chapters:** 2/8

* * *

Bits of feather fluff floated through the air. Most people ignored it; just the perils of living in a place where Fliers flew. Dennis did his best to ignore it as well, but that wasn't all that easy, not for him.

Dennis was allergic to feathers.

He stifled a sniff, smiling broadly as he did, fanning his cards through his hands. "It's really not that good of a trick," he lied. "Do you really wanna see it again?"

He didn't get the answer he expected. Part of him wasn't surprised; finding people who enjoyed card tricks here could take forever.

But today's reason for the unexpected response wasn't an annoyed teacher of even a grumpy upperclassman demanding the lower years clear out.

No. Who came striding over was someone a head or so shorter than Dennis, but who carried himself as if a golden carpet spread itself out before him. And at the far end of that carpet was Dennis himself.

Yuuri. Everyone in the Academy knew who he was. It was all but impossible to not know. He had no relations. He had no family name. What he did have was the fear he conjured up in everyone around him just by existing and a large set of pink, purple, and black scaled wings.

At thirteen, Yuuri shouldn't have flown for another two years. His wings, according to everything known about young Fliers, shouldn't have matured enough to do more than short hops, usually from rooftop to rooftop.

Yuuri flew. He flew very well, in fact.

Now he stood in front of Dennis, violet eyes meeting his. For a moment All was silent. When it broke, it wasn't due to Yuuri saying anything. Dennis's small audience broke up, muttering about assignments that needed to be done and chores that needed completion.

Dennis started to do the same, raising one hand to bid farewell, hoping he could get away before Yuuri wanted anything from him.

There were a lot of rumors about Yuuri. Dennis wasn't eager to find out which ones were true.

A hand folded around his wrist, keeping him from going anywhere. Yuuri stared at him. Dennis drew a breath, ready to ask what the problem was, when Yuuri shifted and presented him with his back.

"My wings itch," he said. "I want you to scratch them. Carefully. Right now."

Dennis blinked; this wasn't what he expected. Almost automatically he reached to the wide spread of wings and touched the first pale pink scales he saw. Yuuri breathed out as he touched, then flicked his wing.

"Don't stop until I tell you to."

Dennis blinked again. He knew for a fact that touching a Flyer's wings without permission could get you carded. He'd even heard it happened to someone in a higher year. But Yuuri wanted him to do this?

He started scratching, being careful not to hurt. If one could get carded for unauthorized touching, then what about authorized but accidental pain?

"Why did you want me to do this?" Dennis asked after a few moments. Yuuri didn't seem quite so terrifying when he purred at Dennis' touch.

"Hm?" Yuuri glanced back at him, ruffling his wings, presumably in pleasure. Dennis hadn't spent enough time around Fliers to learn their body language. To the best of his knowledge, no one had ever spent enough time around Yuuri to know what _his_ body language was.

"You could get anyone to do this. Why me?"

"I don't want anyone to do this. I might not even want _you_ to keep doing this." Yuuri considered for a few seconds. Dennis kept on scratching, feeling hints of dryness on the scales. Was that normal for Fliers like this?

Yuuri spoke again. "It depends on how good of a job you do."

Dennis wasn't quite sure of how to take that. He decided to ask something else instead. "Did you know your scales are very dry? Are they supposed to be like that?"

"Explain."

How did you explain dry scales to a Flyer who presumably had scales all of his life, or at least since his wings emerged from their sack? Dennis tried.

"Right here. And here." He pressed against the appropriate places. Dry as the scales were, Yuuri's wings were also very firm but flexible. A faint odor wafted up from them, one Dennis hadn't encountered before, but he thought it pleasant. "They're dry. Not flaking, though. Do scales flake?"

"Not unless a Flyer is very sick. I think I need a new scale oil." Yuuri pulled his wings away, folding them closer to his back. "Come along."

He'd taken half a dozen steps before it properly dawned on Dennis that Yuuri wanted him to come with him. He caught up quickly, trying to figure out just what was on Yuuri's mind.

"Where are we going?" That might be a good place to start.

"Where I can get scale oil, of course." The withering look didn't feel quite so withering, not when he'd heard Yuuri's contentment at having his wings scratched.

Before he could restrain himself, the words tumbled out.

"Did you know that you purred when I was scratching your wings?"

Yuuri stopped. Yuuri turned to look at him. Dennis hadn't ever seen someone look at him like that in his entire life. He only shrugged. It wasn't as if he were lying.

Not that he had any problem with lying in general. But doing so to Yuuri could end with one sealed into a card, and worse.

Off the top of his head, he didn't know what would be worse, but if worse existed, then Yuuri of all people would know what it was and be more than capable of dishing it out.

"I purred?" Yuuri sounded as if the concept hadn't ever occurred to him. Dennis nodded. What else could he do?

For a few seconds, Dennis found himself treated to the sight of a purely shocked Yuuri, a sight few had ever seen.

He found he liked that. To surprise Yuuri and live through the experience?

Then Yuuri started walking again and Dennis followed. In the space of a few heartbeats, he found himself fascinated. If there were more ways to startle Yuuri, he wanted to find out how to do it.

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** So, now Dennis and Yuuri have met. I have fun plans for the future!


	3. Chapter 3

**Words:** 3,228/9,539|| **Chapters:** 3/8

* * *

 _I purred?_ Yuuri couldn't entirely believe that, but the idea that Dennis would lie to him about it made no sense. What would lying about purring accomplish? If it was the truth, so be it, and if it was a lie, then he would inflict punishment. Maybe carding. Or worse.

He knew quite a few things that could be worse. He rather looked forward to being able to inflict them on someone at some point. He'd never met anyone who could take all that he could dish out, though. Someone strong enough not to die if Yuuri frowned their way…

Yuuri continually promised himself that he would. It might take until the invasions began and he could explore other dimensions for his future plaything, but it would happen.

For right now, he wanted to get the proper wing oil and get his wings taken care of. He could feel the itch starting to rise again and he'd already enjoyed being without it.

There were several small stores scattered throughout Academia which provided for the students' needs and desires. Multiple card stores, of course, that usually specialized in one particular type or other of cards. He patronized one that featured Plant-type cards in particular.

But this store that he swung into now wasn't a card shop. Here all the varied needs of the Fliers were taken care of, especially for wing care.

Dennis looked around at everything, taking a few steps near one of the counters. "You need all of this?" He asked, wonder tingeing his voice.

"Me, personally? No." Yuuri gestured for Dennis to follow him. If all worked out the way that he hoped that it would, he would send Dennis here for wing oil in the future. Best that he know what to get.

He came over to a small display, one that carried examples of all kinds of feathers or wing samples – as well as a sample jar and a clean cloth. Yuuri pointed to the jar and the cloth.

"Dip out some of that, rub it on the leather piece there. You're going to do that to the dry spots, so I want to show you how it's done."

Dennis eyed it for a few moments before he obeyed, looking rather nervous as he did. Yuuri expected that. His wings twitched in anticipation of having a proper cleaning and moisturization. His sort of wings needed so much more care than some of the other types.

He enjoyed taking care of his wings. He couldn't strike terror into the hearts of others if his wings dried and flaked.

He watched with a careful eye as Dennis picked up the sample piece, the most likely places where dryness developed marked clearly on it, and started to rub at them with the cloth.

"Not so hard," Yuuri reprimanded. "That would take some of my scales off. Keep it easier, like you did before."

He could tell Dennis had talent as a wing-tender. He wasn't going to let him waste it. Especially not when he could be _Yuuri's_ wing-tender.

Would be Yuuri's wing-tender, as long as he didn't screw up too many things. Yuuri quite liked the way Dennis's fingers soothed the various itchy places on his wings. Whether Dennis wanted to be his wing-tender wasn't even an option.

He kept a careful eye on Dennis's work, correcting him here and there, then once he was satisfied, he carried a vial of his favored oil and a new cloth up to the main counter. The student behind the counter – one who didn't do all that well in classes and needed to work here – quickly processed his purchase.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?" She asked, not bringing her eyes up to look at Yuuri. So far as he cared, that was quite proper. _She_ could barely figure out the differences between attack position and defense position. _He_ was one of the elite of his class and Professor Akaba's personal right hand.

"No." He gestured for Dennis to follow him as he headed out, considering where to settle for a good wing care session. He wasn't entirely certain if he wanted to bring Dennis back to his quarters just yet.

 _The top._ Every rooftop in Academia had been set up to welcome those with wings, be it as a place for them to visit easily or to get from there down to their personal quarters. Sometimes even both.

"This way." Yuuri guided Dennis to his own building, keeping his wings close to his body as he made his way up the stairs. He hated using stairs anyway, but until his wings were in flawless shape, he wasn't going to risk straining them.

Dennis kept his mouth shut the whole way up there. Yuuri approved of that; he'd already seen how Dennis entertained himself and he didn't really feel like hearing a lot of babble and blather. He wanted his wings taken care of, first and foremost. Once he'd seen how well Dennis could really do as a wing-tender, then he might consider letting him talk about something that wasn't dueling or Yuuri's wings.

Maybe. If he could find something to talk about that could actually catch Yuuri's attention. He wasn't yet going to rule out just keeping Dennis around to care for his wings.

Up on top of the building there were several benches spread out to take advantage of the sunlight, with artificial pools here and there, hidden in the shade of carefully tended trees in long pots of rich soil. Platforms stretched out in odd spots as well, where people could perch and take off again. Several of these were used to teach younger students how to fly.

Yuuri had made use of them several times over the last year as he built up his wing-strength and spiraled outward, enjoying the time by himself. Now he settled onto the bench closest to his favorite take off point, then turned to Dennis, the oil and cloth set on the bench next to him.

"Rub the oil into my wings. Just like you did at the store," he ordered, spreading his wings out so that Dennis could get to all of them. He didn't bother to offer any threats about what would happen if Dennis hurt him. He thought that Dennis would understand without him having to say a word.

* * *

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** And here we are finishing this one. I'm making progress!


	4. Chapter 4

**Words:** 4,311/9,539|| **Chapters:** 4/8

* * *

 _I'm taking care of Yuuri's wings._ Dennis turned that thought over and over in his head, even as he carefully worked his way through each scale. He wouldn't have expected Yuuri's wings to be as warm as they were, but each one he touched didn't just shimmer in whatever shade of purple or pink it carried, but pulsed with a deep vibrant sense of life.

For someone who held the record of most duels won at Academia, as well as the one who most people thought would card the most people once the war began, Yuuri carried so much life in his flesh and scales. Dennis certainly wouldn't have thought _that_ about him if anyone had asked before this.

If anyone had asked before today, Dennis wouldn't have even believed that he was taking care of Yuuri's wings at all.

He paused once, rubbing his nose more out of habit than anything else, before he picked up the cloth and carefully bent back to the work. He didn't expect Yuuri to try to say anything, not when he'd started to purr again. So when Yuuri spoke, it took a few seconds for him to realize it.

"I don't have to repeat myself, do I?" Yuuri's words almost always held an edge to them, but right now there there was definite threat. Dennis held back jumping. Yuuri wouldn't like it if Dennis hurt his wings and Dennis much preferred being three dimensional.

"No." He backtracked quickly through the last few moments to recall what Yuuri said. Oh, that was right. "No one's ever asked me to take care of their wings before."

He couldn't see the frown, but he could hear it in Yuuri's words. "Is that so..." He wasn't exactly asking a question. And then that frown vanished, replaced by an extremely satisfied smirk. "Good. Then you're all mine."

Dennis wasn't at all afraid to admit that he mentally jumped at that, and if he hadn't had Yuuri's wings in his hands, he would have probably leaped enough to be mistaken for having wings himself. He swallowed, forcing his attention down on those wings.

"Are you serious?" He had to keep himself under control. If Yuuri lost his temper – well, Dennis really didn't want to think about it.

"Of course. You're very good at this and I need -" Yuuri didn't stumble over his words but Dennis knew he chose them with care. "I need someone who can do this. I can't get to all the itchy places by myself."

 _Help. Yuuri needs help._ That surprised him more than he could have ever dreamed. To think that _he_ could be of use to _Yuuri_! He'd certainly never dreamed anything on that scale before.

Yuuri's fingers tapped on the bench for a few seconds. "And why hasn't anyone else snapped you up before now?" Dennis couldn't see Yuuri's face but he imagined a sharp look of curiosity, digging to find out all of Dennis' secrets.

He probably wouldn't learn all of them. Dennis didn't want to tell everyone all the deepest thoughts that he imagined, even someone like Yuuri.

But this wasn't something he really minded telling. He carefully wiped a bit more of the oil on an especially dry scale and watched as it sank in. It would take multiple sessions to really get that one to be in tiptop shape.

"It's because of a little problem I have," Dennis confessed. He could feel his cheeks heating up. Confessing this wasn't easy given that they were in Academia. But Yuuri waited, head tilted, wings cocked to the side so Dennis could get to them.

Dennis didn't dare think that Yuuri _trusted_ him. But Yuuri also wasn't killing him and that was good enough for the moment.

"I'm allergic to feathers. I start sneezing whenever they get too close." He paused for a second to rub his nose again. "But you don't have feathers and that doesn't trigger the allergy."

If he'd been in the right position, Dennis wouldn't have been remotely surprised to see Yuuri's smug little smile. He twitched his dragon-scale wings and stretched for a few moments.

"Take a break," Yuuri ordered, spreading his wings. "You don't need to break your fingers."

Dennis wasn't going to argue about that. He stretched his fingers a little, rubbing them. If he were going to do this on a regular basis, then he would have to pick up some hot water and a towel for himself, to get the oil off, and probably one of those little tools used to work knots out. Most people used it when they'd done too much dueling, but he'd seen other people, that he knew hadn't been dueling, use it. Always those who didn't have wings. Now he wondered if they took care of someone else's wings.

 _I wonder if I should ask Tenjoin._ He'd seen her with one of those and he knew that she associated with a few of those with wings. It would be something to take care of, later.

For now, though, he tilted his head back and stared up at the deep blue sky overhead. Classes at Academia went on throughout most of the year, with a few weeks off in the height of summer. He'd spent four years here already and he hadn't bothered going anywhere during any of them. The next summer break was about two weeks away and he hadn't made any plans to go anywhere then either.

He glanced at Yuuri, who had his wings bent around and one hand going down as far as he could on them. Dennis shifted over to where he could see Yuuri's face. A sense of pride swelled through him when he saw how pleased Yuuri looked.

If it had been anyone else, he would have at least tried for some sort of casual conversation. But Yuuri wasn't someone who _did_ casual conversation, and as it was, Dennis wasn't at all sure what they had in common, other than both attending Academia and being duelists. He hadn't seen Yuuri duel, and a tiny part of him did want to, just to see if all of the stories he'd heard were true.

 _I'd rather watch him duel someone else instead of dueling him myself._ Going up against Yuuri might well mean he'd lose, but he wouldn't necessarily be carded. Especially not if Yuuri wanted his continued services as a wing-tender.

 _Maybe later,_ he decided. When his fingers didn't hurt as much as they did.

* * *

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** First day of a lovely friendship to be. If 'lovely' is the right word to use. This is Yuuri – a sadist – and Dennis – a spy – after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Words:** 5,568|| **Chapters:** 5

* * *

Yuuri tilted his wings as he flew, soaring over the island, enjoying the feel of the wind against his scales and blowing through his hair. After two weeks of daily intense care, his new scales finished coming in, and he didn't have to worry about the itch anymore. That made flying just that much better, and he savored being back in the air.

 _Picking Dennis was a good choice,_ he mused, circling over and keeping an eye out for other air traffic and the way the air currents flowed. Out here there wasn't much to get in his way but he didn't want to lose his focus and find himself tangled with someone else.

That had happened once. He'd had to card the offender, of course, which had done wonders for his reputation, and annoyed him for days afterward, mostly because people kept staring at him in awe.

And fear. He couldn't forget fear. He'd rather liked that part. Seeing people terrified of him thrilled him right down to his core and he would go out of his way to terrify anyone that he could.

 _Dennis didn't look like he was afraid of me._ He'd been aware of that on a low level ever since the day that they'd met. Dennis seemed _wary_ , of course, which was to be expected, but he'd listened to everything Yuuri had to say and had been focused enough to obey his instructions.

And he really did so well with Yuuri's wings. Really, the best wing-tender Yuuri had ever heard of, and he wasn't going to let anyone else get hold of him. There weren't many others who Dennis _could_ take care of anyway, given that silly allergy. There were perhaps thirty or forty duelists with wings at Academia and the vast majority of them had the traditional bird-like wings of feathers. Those who had dragon or bat wings – like Yuuri – were in the minority, with a few who had fairy wings and one or two with metallic wings.

All of which meant that whatever else Dennis was born to do, he was born to tend to Yuuri's wings, and Yuuri wouldn't ever let anyone who he considered his get away from him.

 _I don't think I'll need to chain him up, though._ Pity for that, almost. He'd somewhat wanted to have a way to test the restraints he had and make certain that his theoretical future possession couldn't get out of them. Dennis was too tricky and far too slick for ordinary manacles to hold him, though.

Add in the fact that Yuuri hadn't ruled out taking a Winged One of his own as his future possession, and since Dennis didn't have wings, he couldn't fully test the bonds. A bit annoying overall but nothing that he couldn't work with. He'd just have to pick a Winged One to test it eventually.

He could do that. There were plenty of them and some of them skimmed the line of failure and success. The Professor would allow him this. He'd been _very_ good.

Yuuri circled, casting his eyes downward to the splashing waves and rolling tides. He didn't often do this, but he did need something to eat. He didn't really want to wait around for the kitchen to send something to him, either, and he wasn't sure as of yet how good of a cook Dennis might turn out to be. All of that boiled down to one thing: he needed to get his own food and cook it himself.

It wouldn't at all be the first time he'd made his own food. He didn't always trust the kitchens to have what he wanted or to get it to him when he wanted it. So now he searched, checking for one of his favorites.

Being able to fly made acquiring certain foods that much easier. He didn't have to wait around with a rod and bait. He spied something long and silvery flashing by under the water and dashed downward, seizing the fish and tossing it to the nearest stretch of dry land. While it flopped and gasped, Yuuri circled and took another turn around, catching two more before he headed in with his prey.

They were very big fish; even after being deboned and the parts he didn't want disposed of, he suspected the three fish would provide enough for at least two people. Or one person and leftovers.

Yuuri eyed his catch for a few moments, then hurried on to his quarters, where he could send a message. He usually didn't mind eating by himself, but Dennis really had done such a good job taking care of his wings. He should get a reward for that. And as much as Yuuri wanted to believe it, just letting Dennis live wasn't a good enough reward.

By the time the knock came at his door, he'd almost finished cooking. As soon as Dennis entered, he drew in a breath and blinked.

"Fish?" Another breath, and he looked a bit more startled this time. "Aji-furai?"

"Yes." Yuuri settled the food on the table, giving it a very proud look. Not only had he caught the fish himself, but he'd grown the cabbage himself as well, and made the sauce personally. "You don't have anything against it, do you?"

Dennis shook his head. "Of course not. I didn't know you cooked."

"You have no idea of what you don't know about me." Yuuri allowed a small smirk at that, gesturing for Dennis to take his place. Yuuri sat in his own chair, one of those made for the Winged Ones, his wings folded up on his back. All those with wings had quarters somewhat larger than the standard, just to make room for their wings. His were even larger than that: he was _Yuuri_ , after all.

He thought he spied a careful look from Dennis. And if that were so, he relished it all the more.

Everything was that much better as Dennis started eating. Yuuri had particular tastes to his food and had taught himself to cook to satisfy those. There were still times he took what the kitchen had to offer but when it came to fish, he preferred his own methods to any other.

Dennis sampled everything with care and caution, until about halfway through the meal, when he really started to eat with gusto, eyes lighting up more with every bit of food down his mouth. Yuuri smiled to himself. He'd never shared what he made with someone else, but if they reacted like this, he might have to consider doing it again.

Or at least inviting Dennis over a little more often. Dennis was his wing-tender. He should get something suitable in return, and decent meals made by Yuuri were more than enough for that.

Almost as soon as he'd finished, Dennis glanced at him, a bit of wariness in his eyes now. "Did you hear? The final plans for the invasion are being sorted out."

Oh, yes, he'd heard. He already had his special assignment: a spy would be sent into the other dimensions and once the spy found those particular people that the Professor wanted, then Yuuri would come along and take them. It sounded a little dull for his tastes, but with the prospects of battle and the potential for finding that toy he wanted, perhaps it could be better than he thought.

"I found out my assignment." Dennis prodded at the remains of his food. "I have to learn XYZ summoning. I'm going there."

* * *

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** Aji-furai (or aji fry) involves frying horse mackerel fish in bread crumbs and serving it with raw shredded cabbage and tonkatsu sauce. I couldn't resist having my sadistic cabbage eat cabbage.

Also, doing a small change to the word count/chapter count at the top, mainly so I don't have to go back and edit every chapter once I reach the ending. Eventually I'll adjust the listing on every one of my fics. For now, just the ones I'm regularly updating.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter:** 6|| **Words:** 6,800

* * *

Dennis didn't want to look too hard at Yuuri. Learning a new dueling style would be difficult enough, but the idea of entering another world to search out _one person_? That could take months. For all he knew, it could take _years_ even.

But this was his part of the invasion, and one of the most important parts. From what had been explained to him, he would be near one of the potential locations to find the target, and the war couldn't or wouldn't be declared until he'd made the discovery.

 _You'd think I would be allowed to take the prisoner before the war starts, though._ That sounded better to him. There were three other dimensions that would be invaded before this was over with and if _he'd_ been in charge, he would have located the three girls – what _did_ the Professor want with them anyway? - and taken them before starting the invasion.

But he wasn't in charge and no one had ever asked his opinion on what should happen in the war. So he would do what he'd been told to do and that was all there was to it.

Yuuri still hadn't said anything. The very tips of his wings twitched back and forth, and very little of his expression changed. Then he started to gather up the dishes and put them in the small sink on the other side of the room. Dennis followed him with his eyes, not at all sure if he should even say anything else.

If he'd even tried, Yuuri would have interrupted. Setting the dishes down, he turned back towards Dennis, his violet eyes flaring.

"So you're the one going undercover." Yuuri didn't smile very well. He sort of tried, and he could get his lips to move in the right motions, but there hadn't ever been anyone who'd ever seen Yuuri smile and wasn't convinced they should sprout their own wings and take to the skies.

Even Dennis, who knew Yuuri wasn't going to card him as long as he was useful in taking care of his wings, didn't quite feel comfortable with the way that Yuuri looked at him. But he steeled himself.

"That's right. They've managed to recruit someone from the XYZ dimension to come and teach me." Dennis picked at the napkin in front of him. "I think his name is Vector. I'm supposed to start learning tomorrow." What would be hardest would be to be able to do the summons without his stomach churning and nauseous. Just the idea of not using the Fusion deck that he'd put so much work into… using a deck from one of those _other_ summoning methods…

Well, he would work his way through it. He just wasn't going to like it very much. Maybe he wouldn't have to duel a lot while he was in the XYZ dimension.

 _Am I going to have to learn how to Synchro, too?_ He wasn't even sure _what_ summons method the Standard dimension used. His information only extended to XYZ for the moment. He presumed that he would get more intelligence when the time came.

Yuuri settled back in his chair, his wingtips still twitching, and a faint ghost of annoyance in the set of his shoulders and the way his lips curved.

"Learn fast," he said at last. "And make sure that you're here every night to take care of my wings."

Dennis stiffened up a little at that. "You don't need your wings taken care of every night." He'd done it at least every other night while trying to get Yuuri's scales no longer dry and itchy, but every night was a little different.

"I said you're going to be here every night to take care of my wings. For that matter, I want to see you dueling with an XYZ deck. To see how good you are." Yuuri's eyes never left him and for the briefest of moments, Dennis could have sworn that his eyes slitted, more like a cat's or a lizard's than anything else.

Or like a dragon… he'd only seen dragons in cards, but the way Yuuri stared at him brought to mind those few Fusion dragons that he'd seen before. Not just his eyes but the way his wings tilted and the way that his hands moved, grasping towards him without actually moving.

Dragons kept what was theirs. And while most people described Yuuri's wings as bat-like, the more that Dennis got to know him, the less he thought that was right. After all, his ace was Starve Venom Fusion _Dragon_.

Yuuri flew with the wings of a dragon and Dennis would not disagree that he had the soul of one.

Dennis traced a random design on the table before him, trying to wrap his head around Yuuri's orders. Yuuri very seldom actually ordered him to do anything that didn't involve his wings. Now wasn't the best of times to find out that Yuuri even wanted to.

"Why?" He asked at last, bringing his eyes up to look at Yuuri. "Why do you want to see me duel?"

Yuuri sniffed ever so slightly, as if the question was beneath him. "Because I _do_. I've seen you duel with your proper deck." One lip curled. "You're not bad with it. But you can duel better than that and I want to see that."

Dennis fidgeted, even less sure of Yuuri's words now. "You think I should be an XYZ duelist?" He'd never thought about that. He refused to think about it even now. He was a Fusion duelist. He was a Fusion _soldier_. Learning XYZ was just what he had to do to keep his cover.

"I think that you're going to improve as a duelist by turning their own tricks against them." Yuuri smiled and for a few moments, Dennis totally believed that he saw those teeth as sharp as any predator's.

He refused to drop his eyes, though. Yuuri wouldn't respect him if he showed the slightest hint of a lack of backbone and the longer that he spent time with Yuuri, the more he did want Yuuri to respect him. Yuuri hardly respected anyone short of the Professor anyway. Having that respect would put him head and shoulders above everyone else at Academia.

Yuuri watched him, that possessive gleam still strong in his eyes. Dennis wished that he could find the right words to vocalize any of his thoughts. He still hadn't quite decided what he wanted to talk to Yuuri about. Even knowing him for the time that he had didn't mean he could figure out just what to say to him.

Dennis wasn't certain how good of a spy he would be if he couldn't even bring up decent topics of conversation to someone who knew him. Though at least in XYZ he could make up things to chatter about if need be.

"I hope I do," Dennis said, as the stretch of silence became just a little uncomfortable. "So, you're going to be the one I bring the person the Professor wants to?"

Yuuri nodded, tilting back and spreading his wings for support. "He hasn't said why he wants them. Just that they're important to the plan."

"Then we'll get them." He'd never really worked often with Yuuri, except when it came to dealing with Yuuri's wings. But this didn't seem all that difficult.

* * *

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** And the war is on the verge of beginning. Whenever Dennis finds Ruri, of course.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapters:** 7|| **Words:** 8,153

* * *

 _Dennis is mine._ Yuuri examined that thought, more because he hadn't ever had one like it before. He'd daydreamed for quite some time over having a possession, something or someone that he could toy with in any way that he desired. That was a satisfying concept and one that he saw no reason to turn away from.

But the idea of Dennis _also_ being his in a different way from that sort of possession now prowled its way across his mind and he wasn't at all certain of what to do with it.

It wasn't the sort of possessing that came along with chains and bondage and collars. It was the kind of thing that Yuuri suspected he'd seen from other people in Academia. Not very often; it wasn't really _done_ and those few who forged bonds like that tended to either conceal it from most or brag about it to the heavens. He presumed the latter formed the mindset of 'this is mine, no one touch it or I will end you'.

That wasn't such a bad idea when it came to him and Dennis. He wanted to keep Dennis for his wing-tending capabilities, and since there were so few without wings who were as good at it as Dennis was _and_ who were allergic to feathers, he didn't think anyone else would try to take him. That made Dennis a rare possession and Yuuri enjoyed the idea of owning such a rare possession.

He coasted over the island again, every sort of thought dancing about in his mind. Dennis was his. Dennis was going into enemy territory.

That part he didn't like too much. He knew Dennis could take care of himself. He'd watched him dueling a few times and Dennis really was good. Not quite as good as he was, of course, but there were so few who were that good, and those who were had very special assignments in this war to be.

He still hadn't yet seen Dennis doing an XYZ summon, nor had he yet met Dennis' teacher. He was supposed to do that soon. Having a teacher who'd defected from XYZ made Yuuri a little wary. No, more than a little. There were few people that he'd ever considered trusting and an XYZ traitor wasn't even close to being on the list. He wanted to meet this 'Vector' just to see if there was the slightest chance that he could be deceiving them.

 _If he is, and I find out about it, I'm going to take him as high as I can go and drop him over open water._ And if Vector somehow survived that, Yuuri had several plants that would be happy to devour anything that Yuuri asked them to.

 _Maybe I should try that first._

That sparked another idea and he circled downward to where Dennis waited for him, seated on one of the benches on top of the building. As soon as he touched down, Dennis got to his feet and came over to check Yuuri's wings. Yuuri allowed that, but there was something else on his mind.

"Definite much better," Dennis proclaimed. "Would you like a wing massage tonight?"

Yuuri let the tips of his wings twitch in pleasure. Dennis knew exactly what to say. Or at least what to offer him. But his own idea hadn't slipped away.

"Yes. But first I'm going to show you something else." He could not help the smile that flicked across his lips. He'd never shown anyone living what he wanted to show Dennis. "Meet me at my quarters."

Dennis looked a little surprised, but he said nothing against the order as he headed for the stairs leading down. Yuuri leaped over the side, wings flapping idly to guide him through the air until he reached the greenhouse on the far side of the building.

Dennis hadn't ever asked about the greenhouse. Most people didn't. The few who knew it belonged to him didn't want to know exactly what he grew in there. Those few that Yuuri had shown his treasured garden were the ones who'd never come back out of it.

Yuuri opened all the correct doors and gestured Dennis down the corridor that led to the greenhouse. Dennis stared at the first few plants as he entered, eyes wide and head turning in every direction.

"These are yours?" Dennis murmured, and Yuuri smiled in pride.

"I've grown every one of these myself. A few of them I created myself." Yuuri brushed one hand across a particular treasure of his. To the naked eye it was very simple, something like a slightly larger Venus flytrap. Yuuri looked forward to the day when it would achieve its full size and hoped that it would be as intelligent as he longed for it to be.

At his touch, the flytrap waved long vines, one of them wrapping around his wrist and tugging gently. Yuuri stroked it with the fingers of his other hand.

"I know, you're hungry," he cooed. "Don't worry, I didn't forget." He glanced up towards Dennis. "See that refrigerator there?" He indicated it with a tilt of his head. "There's a roll of meat in there. Get it for me."

Dennis didn't quite look as if he were sure about this, but he didn't argue, going to get the meat. Yuuri petted the flytrap around the head and vines, cooking as the little beauty strained for a passing bug. He would have made certain his lovely creation got the bug, if he didn't already have dinner waiting for it.

When Dennis brought over the roll of meat, Yuuri carefully started to break off pieces and feed them to his plant. It snapped each piece up quickly, making grateful noises, and Yuuri turned in time to see Dennis staring.

"I didn't know plants talked," Dennis said. He looked a mixture of awestruck and terrified. Yuuri thought that the best reaction to his treasure.

"Most plants don't, at least not in a way humans can hear." Yuuri stroked the flytrap again, dropping another piece into the eagerly open maw. He wondered if he should tell Dennis exactly where the meat came from.

Maybe not right now. Later, once they knew each other better.

"But this one can." Dennis didn't take his eyes off of it. Probably the best idea, even given how small it was now.

"This is one of the ones I designed and grew myself. It doesn't really talk like you or I do, but it can let me know what it wants. I look forward to it knowing what to call me one day." Yuuri petted again, unwinding the tendril from him. The flytrap pouted – at least Yuuri thought the way that it curled up its leaves and crossed vines together looked like pouting – and tucked itself down for sleep. "I'll come visit you later," he promised. "Here."

He pulled out the control system for the greenhouse and programmed up one of his favorite soundtracks for his plants to grow to. Each one of them had a sound system set up so they could listen to individualized music and each plant had different preferences. This one rather enjoyed classical music, of all things.

"Now, come on. I'll show you the rest."

Yuuri still had over half of the roll of meat left. Almost all of his plants were meat-eaters to one extent or another and he always made sure to have enough to feed them with.

He glanced over his shoulder towards Dennis, frowned, and pushed past him to bring one hand firmly down on the leaf of one large plant trying to get to Dennis. "No!" Yuuri ordered sharply, and the leaf pulled back at his command. His plants learned fast that Yuuri was their lord and master. "Dennis is mine, just like all of you are. You won't eat him."

Dennis's mouth worked for a few seconds, staring from the plant that had somehow crept up on him to Yuuri himself. He swallowed. "Yours?"

That got a grin from Yuuri as he looked back around. "Did you ever think otherwise?"

* * *

 **To Be Continued**

 **Notes:** I just had to get Yuuri's plants and mad scientist botany in there. Ad his possessiveness. And the fact his plants are meat-eaters. Don't ask what kind of meat. You don't want to know. Though I'm pretty sure it's obvious.

Tomorrow is the final chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapters:** 8|| **Words:** 9,539

* * *

Dennis wasn't entirely sure of what to make of Yuuri and his plants – especially Yuuri, since Yuuri created the plants. Everyone knew there was something not entirely – normal – about Yuuri and to find out that he'd created these … creations, that was the only thing he could think of to call them…

 _It's amazing._ Terrifying also came to mind, and amazing, and mind-blowing. Yuuri created meat-eating plants that could even sort of talk and which cooed and wound around him like playful little puppies and kittens.

Exactly what Yuuri wanted with those things or why he had such a connection to plants – to the point of playing a plant deck – when he was a creature of the air, Dennis didn't really know. He thought he might never know. Yuuri kept his secrets even closer to his heart than Dennis himself did.

But Yuuri also made one thing blindingly clear: that Dennis belonged to him as much as his plants did. The way that Yuuri looked at him, with those dragon eyes and dragon wings, there really _had_ never been a doubt. Dennis didn't know if he even wanted there to be one.

More than anyone he'd ever met before, Dennis found himself comfortable with Yuuri. Yuuri wasn't fooled by the lies that he found himself spinning so very easily. Yuuri gave him a single look and Dennis wanted to tell him anything and everything. Yuuri didn't even have to threaten him.

Dennis wasn't even sure of what could threaten him. The more he spent time around Yuuri, the more it began to dawn on him that very few things genuinely frightened him. The wrath of the Professor came close. The thought of the great plan of unifying all the dimensions – that failing didn't really frighten him but the thought of being responsible for it worried at the edges of his mind, especially as he grew to learn more of the XYZ dimension from his teacher.

It was a place that he would want to live. Everything he'd heard told him that he would enjoy himself living there. But he couldn't. He knew better. There wouldn't be an XYZ dimension to live in, sooner or later, and it would be because of him.

Dennis couldn't let that thought get away from him. No matter how pleasant it might be, his job was to get in there, find the girl that the Professor wanted Yuuri to bring back to Academia, and then give the signal that the invasion was to begin. Even if he _wanted_ to live there – and he told himself over and over that he didn't, that the flickers of desire were brought on by nothing more than the descriptions of a place he'd never been before – he couldn't.

The war. The fact he would be the one to call the army when the time came. He knew those facts. He wouldn't fail in his duty.

But it wasn't time to do his duty just yet. He settled beside Yuuri as Yuuri settled on the couch, his wings spread out, and carefully examined them. They looked so much better than they had when he'd first started to work with Yuuri – or for Yuuri, if that was the way that they wanted to call it – stronger and shinier and wonderfully pliant to the touch.

Carefully Dennis started the massage, working from the tips of the wings slowly upwards, taking his time. He didn't know how long it would be until he could do this again and he wanted to make certain that he did the very best job that he could.

Yuuri purred ever so softly with each touch of Dennis's fingers on his wings. Dennis long since found out that he liked hearing Yuuri purr. It was a sound that no one else got to hear and he treasured it as much as Yuuri treasured whatever else it was that he kept for himself.

"Don't take too long," Yuuri murmured, his head tilted up for a few seconds, lazy violet eyes staring at him. "And don't touch anyone else's wings while you're there."

Dennis laughed at that, still working hard on getting Yuuri's wings gently taken care of. "Don't worry, I won't." He wouldn't. He couldn't, really. His allergy to feathers hadn't gone away and when it came to non-feathered wings, he really didn't care that much for any others that weren't Yuuri's.

 _I haven't really seen anyone else with wings like Yuuri's._ There had to be others who had dragon wings. But even those who had leathery wings or metallic wings – he'd seen one such at a distance that reminded him of dragons once – they weren't nearly the sort of wings that Yuuri had. Dennis didn't think that he would ever be able to find wings like Yuuri's.

Why would he want to, though? There wasn't anyone like Yuuri himself and Dennis grew more and more grateful every day for that. This world could barely contain Yuuri. What would happen if there were more of him?

Nothing that anyone would want, he decided. He bent back over his work, fingers tracing up towards Yuuri's shoulders.

"When did you decide that I was yours?" Dennis asked after a few moments of work. Yuuri hadn't said anything to him about that since the day in the greenhouse. But just as Yuuri said at the time, he'd never really thought that there would be anything else. Yuuri wanted him as his wing-tender. He'd thought that was all there was to it.

Only there wasn't. There was something in between them that showed itself in Yuuri's trust, to be shown the greenhouse and the horrific creatures within, for Yuuri to relax in his presence and purr, for Yuuri to want him to come home soon.

There was something in between them that showed itself with Dennis doing his best to get his assignments done so he could spend more time with Yuuri, in Dennis aching to finish this special task because he knew Yuuri longed to roam the other dimensions and seek out someone.

He'd heard about how Yuuri wanted to find a prisoner, someone who he could torment to his heart's delight. If he ran across anyone that he thought would suit Yuuri's tastes, he would definitely make certain to let Yuuri know. Someone who could be strong and resit Yuuri, but who would crumble under Yuuri's attentions sooner or later.

He almost feared for whoever it might be. Almost. What sort of person would he be if he didn't do his best to get Yuuri the kind of present that he would absolutely love?

Yuuri hadn't answered right away and Dennis checked to see if he'd fallen asleep. It wouldn't at all have been the first time Yuuri drifted off during a massage. But no, he lay there with eyes open, wings moving in time with his breathing, before he finally spoke.

"As soon as I found out how good you are at taking care of my wings. I didn't know it then, but that was when it happened. I don't want you to do that to anyone else."

Dennis nodded, still slowly working on the wings before him. When he drew himself back, Yuuri slowly pulled himself upward and brushed himself off carefully before he turned himself towards Dennis.

"When do you leave?" He didn't sound as if he especially wanted the answer, but he asked regardless. Dennis leaned backward on the sofa.

"Another week. That's when Vector says I'll understand enough about XYZ summoning and the XYZ dimension."

He twitched his nose before closing his eyes. He couldn't remember when he started to feel safe enough around Yuuri to do that, and to not indulge in his card tricks or other games. Those were useful to keep other people away from him, and he did enjoy them to an extent, but Yuuri always gave him something real to do, something that showed Yuuri in turn trusted him to be able to do that. There were more than enough people around here that only saw him as a clown at best and a spy in the making at worst.

Or aybe it was a proto-spy at best and a clown at worst. He wasn't sure, but as long as he was with Yuuri, it didn't matter.

* * *

 **The End**

 **Notes:** And that's the end of this story! Dennis, Yuuri, what you're feeling is called 'friendship'. It normally doesn't involve meat-eating plants but you guys are special.

Next fic, **It Started With A Break-In** , over in GX.


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